


A Dangerous Gamble

by The_Winter_Writer



Series: Infinity War Fix-Its [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: (nothing to worry about), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Loki (Marvel), Canon-Typical Violence, Casket of Ancient Winters, Character Death, Don't copy to another site, Fix-It, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt Thor (Marvel), Infinity Stones, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel)'s Revenge, Magic, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Canon Compliant, Powerful Loki, Protective Loki, Protective Siblings, as it should be dammit, cherry picking from canon, infinity war fix-it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:33:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25562134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Winter_Writer/pseuds/The_Winter_Writer
Summary: They were both gods and Thor wasn’t the only one capable of ripping the lid off his power and eliminating a threat. Perhaps it was time to remind the universewhyhe was to be feared.
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel)
Series: Infinity War Fix-Its [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1107894
Comments: 55
Kudos: 461





	A Dangerous Gamble

**Author's Note:**

> Am I ever going to stop fixing Infinity War? Probably not especially as it automatically fixes the nightmare that is Endgame. 
> 
> Ooops.

Loki watched from the shadows, taking in the danger—the imminent _threat_. Thanos had once delighted in breaking him, shattering an already damaged soul to the point of complete destruction and trying to force Loki to do his bidding on Earth. Now the Mad Titan had set his sights on Thor, his foolishly heroic brother, in what could only be another way to punish Loki for his _failure_.

Despite everything, despite the hateful words and their fights, he _loved_ his brother. Loki had tried, he’d tried and tried and _tried_ , to kill the sentiment tying him to Asgard and his adoptive family but he’d failed. Thor, his brother, was all he truly had left and Loki refused to relinquish that last tie to his family. He swallowed roughly as a plan formed. It was risky. The chances of success were slim but, well, he’d seen greater odds beaten and Loki liked his chances.

It was a gamble but all they had left right now was a gamble.

There was a reason he was _feared_ in various parts of the universe and, well, why not embrace the monster lurking beneath pale skin and green eyes? It seemed pointless to ignore it when Loki knew the surprise of it, the unexpectedness, would only help them in the long run.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the deep, deep well of magic he’d only briefly tapped into in the last few centuries after countless jeers about his reliance on magic. They were both gods and Thor wasn’t the only one capable of ripping the lid off his power and eliminating a threat. Perhaps it was time to remind the universe _why_ he was to be feared.

A vicious, vengeful grin tugged at his lips at the thought of paying his tormentor back for the pain and suffering he’d caused Loki.

Loki split into three, both clones suffused with magic and solid, as they looked at each other. This wasn’t a mere illusion; these were solid clones and they would do their assigned jobs as though they were his true self.

It was a simple but, hopefully, effective plan and he prayed to the Norns that it succeeded.

The Tesseract wasn’t the only thing he’d taken from Asgard’s vault and it was a matter of seconds to pull the relic from one of his countless pocket dimensions. He gripped the Casket of Ancient Winters, cold blue crawling up the skin of his fingers and moving further up his body, as he slipped into the place in-between before he moved to the other side of the ship.

One clone stepped out of the shadows, it’s task a foolish distraction, as the other moved towards the so-called Children of Thanos—blades gleamed in his other clone’s hands as it moved closer to its targets. It kept an eye on Thanos, waiting for the signal to move.

Loki took a calming breath as one of his clones took center stage, drawing every single eye towards him, while Loki’s grip tightened on the proof of his heritage still resting in his hands. They had one shot and, even knowing that, his eyes drifted towards Thor once more instead of focusing on Thanos. He realized the potentially fatal problem immediately. It was nothing to reach down into that well of magic inside of him, to draw up even more power and eliminate the newly realized potential for failure.

He created another clone, made solid and given its own important task, as his magic cloaked it from view. The new clone slipped past the threats still watching his distraction and took up position behind his brother. His clones were in place, his magic was singing at the feeling of freedom after being repressed for so long, as Loki watched his distraction near Thanos.

It thrust a blade up at the Mad Titan as the genocidal _monster_ used the gauntlet to hold the clone in place.

_Now_

The command sung through his connection with each clone as the one suspended was gripped by the neck and hoisted up as Thor screamed into his metal gag. It was a truly horrific sight and one he didn’t want to happen in truth.

In an instant Thor was removed from the field of play, shifted away by the clone stationed near him, as a blade flashed down and severed Thanos’s gloved arm. His clone turned and flung blades into the necks of Thanos’s Children while Loki lifted the Casket of Ancient Winters up with fury burning in his heart.

He dropped his illusion, stepping forward, as his fingers tightened on the ancient weapon.

Thanos roared in rage, turning when the clone before him smirked and disappeared to see the real Loki standing before him.

Loki gripped the Casket and blasted the Titan with it. The ancient source power from his birth Realm swam in his veins, bleeding up to his neck now and spilling onto his face, as his now blood red eyes locked with Thanos’s in open defiance. He wanted the Titan to _know_ who had beaten him, to rue the day he’d thought to bend the will of a god and twist Loki for his own purposes.

Ice encased the Titan, freezing him in place and rendering him immobile. It wasn’t enough, Heimdall had been able to break out and Loki knew from firsthand experience that Thanos was far more powerful. More would be needed to truly eliminate the threat to the universe—something far more permanent.

He banished the weapon back into one of his pocket dimensions, letting his clones vanish as his magic continued to burn brightly, while the metal holding Thor in place fell to the ground in a clatter. His brother stumbled to his feet, whole and alive, as Loki kept his focus on the large block of ice before him.

Loki narrowed his eyes at the frozen Titan, fury twisting viciously inside of him, as he walked over to the gauntlet on the ground. Two stones, two Infinity Stones, were once more within their grasp.

“Loki?” Thor’s voice was rough, cracked, as he stumbled forward. Exhaustion filled his brother’s filthy face. It was undeniable that the deaths of so many Asgardians weighed on his brother’s soul. It was unfortunate that Thanos had not gathered the Time Stone.

The Time Stone would have solved quite a bit but, watching over the Realms as the All-Father, had given him a leg up in knowing _where_ some of the other Stones were. They would need to continue on to Earth for the next step.

At least Thor seemed to get along with that third-rate mage. It should make things simpler and Loki would refrain from the _need_ to show that mortal the actual power of a god. He’d let himself get caught off-guard, humiliated by a mortal who had barely practiced _his_ craft.

Loki pulled his mind from those vengeful thoughts and turned them towards Thanos. Something needed to be done and he knew just the thing.

He bent down and plucked the Power Stone from its place on the gauntlet. This should do it. His fingers closed around the purple stone, power surging through him in a delightful rush, as Loki’s eyes flared with power and his magic seemed to swell to an impossible level.

It was heady, having that kind of power so easily resting at his fingertips, but he didn’t _need_ it. Not now, not anymore.

Loki released the power, focused intently on the figure in front of him, and watched with vindictive pleasure as Thanos was reduced to tiny frozen crystals. He reached out with his own magic and destroyed the bodies of Thanos’s Children, not willing to risk it, as Thor watched silently.

Another twist of his magic and the Power Stone was banished to another pocket dimension, safely stored away until they could find something to do with it. The Space Stone, his old friend and unfortunate temptation, was likewise banished to join its sibling.

Loki would need to do some warding on the off chance someone else decided to follow in Thanos’s footsteps.

He turned to look at Thor, idly noted how close his brother was, before he was pulled into a crushing hug. Thor’s face buried itself against his neck, his brother’s hands gripping his filthy leathers, as Loki let himself sink into the hug as though the past years had not driven a wedge between them—as though they were still laughing together before he’d played on trick too many and had revealed his own true nature.

They were surrounded by bodies, in the center of devastation, but Loki ignored it to sink into Thor’s comforting embrace as his skin slowly returned to the familiar pale color he’d worn since Odin had found him.

He tightened his own grip, tired of world ending threats, as his brother’s breathing hitched. Thor often reminded him of Odin, far too often, but his embraces spoke strongly of Frigga and Loki’s heart ached for one last embrace from his beloved Mother. He shoved the thought aside; it wasn’t the time to reflect on that particular loss.

“They’re gone.” Thor’s voice was broken as his hold tightened, “We failed—”

“We need to go to Earth.” He cut in, hating the words that fell from his lips next. “Stephen Strange possesses the Time Stone. We can get them back. We can fix _this_ and find a new home.”

Thor pulled back, hands still gripping him, as his brother looked at him. He watched, silently impressed, as realization and hope edged out the devastation in Thor’s eyes and something fierce, something focused, quickly took their place. Thor had the potential to be a great King, something Loki would always attribute to Frigga’s influence, and it was obvious as he focused on the next step.

Slowly Thor released him, stepping back, as Loki took a calming breath. They were alive, Thanos was _gone_ , and they were back on track.

“Radio the survivors. The quicker we reach Earth the quicker we can bring our people back.”

Thor picked his way through the debris as Loki looked after him. It took a moment, looking around at the carnage surrounding them, for Loki to realize that Thor had hugged him when he’d still been wearing his Jotunn skin completely unconcealed by magic.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm here to give Loki the recognition he deserves because the MCU certainly isn't going to. I am also here to fix things because fuck not letting the sun shine on my favorite Norse Bros and fuck killing off beloved characters. I want my escapism with a happy ending dammit.
> 
> So, everyone lives (except Thanos/Thanos's Children but who cares about them?) and no one dies because the Time Stone **is** used to bring back the murdered Asgardians since Loki isn't taking _no_ for an answer.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this one! As always, I'd love to know what you thought. Please leave a comment.
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://the-winter-writer.tumblr.com)


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